A PENSIONER drug mule who trafficked £1million worth of cocaine has been released from jail – and has jetted off to a Spanish holiday hotspot.
Roger Clarke, 79, and his late wife Susan were after smuggling 20lbs of the Class A drug into Portugal from the Caribbean.
Roger Clarke and his late wife Susan were jailed for eight years after smuggling 20lbs of cocaine Credit: Solarpix
Portuguese cops discovered cocaine stitched into the lining of their suitcases Credit: Solarpix
They were after Portuguese cops discovered cocaine stitched into the lining of their suitcases in December 2018.
Three years later, Susan, 72, died of behind bars – prompting cops to extradite Clarke to serve the rest of his sentence in the UK.
He was moved to HMP Standford Hill, after claiming his human rights were breached.
But the drug-smuggling pensioner has since been freed – and he is now claiming on social media that he has travelled to Alicante in Spain.
Clarke has jetted to Rojales on the Costa Blanca, where he previously went on the run for other drug offences, The Mirror reports.
In 2010, Roger and Susan were caught smuggling 240kg of cannabis into Norway.
Police said they used four cruises in two years as a front, making as much as £26,500 per trip.
Speaking previously on his arrest, Clarke admitted “my stupidity caused this”, but claimed he had no idea the suitcases were stuffed with drugs.
The couple were on a cruise from St Lucia when pals allegedly asked Roger to take a suitcase Credit: Solarpix
They claimed crooks conned them into carrying the four cases Credit: Solarpix
The couple were on a cruise from St Lucia to Portugal when pals allegedly asked Roger to take a suitcase.
He claimed he had done it for the couple before and – despite being searched “four times” – there was never anything found.
But the grandparents, from Chatham, , were arrested following a tip-off as the Marco Polo liner docked in the Portuguese capital.
They claimed crooks conned them into carrying the four cases, but the couple were jailed in September 2019.
Lawyers said the pair were drug mules smuggling cocaine which was destined for the UK.
Susan was imprisoned at EP Tires prison, which also houses killers, where she shared a 10x10ft cell with three others.
Clarke was held behind bars in the notorious EP Lisboa prison, where he begged ex-Prime Minister for help.
He described spending his time with murderers and rapists watching movies and reading books.
Clarke said: “There was a lot of violence. I was hit by a prison officer once because I refused to sign a document because it was in Portuguese.
“It was terrifying being in that prison. I lost so much weight. There was nothing to do, I just walked around the patio.”
He was deported to the UK to finish his sentence in October 2021.
But after complaining about conditions at Standford Hill, Clarke was moved to maximum security HMP High Down, near Sutton, .
Other notorious inmates previously held at the prison include paedo pop star and drug-smuggling England cricketeer Chris Lewis.
Roger argued he should have been out of prison in December 2022 as that marked the halfway point of the eight-year sentence.
Speaking on day release at a Morrisons café, he said “I’m doing time I shouldn’t be doing.
“I think it’s a breach of my human rights. Sue knew nothing. I blame myself, I should have checked.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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